Gift Guide: Perfect Gift Ideas for Entertainment-Obsessed Dads and Grads
June is the time of year when we toast dads and grads. This year, TV Insider has rounded up some goodies sure to thrill the folks on your list who get that TV shows and movies aren’t just for watching anymore.
Star Wars: The Black Series Legacy Pack
The Force is so damn strong with this one. In honor of A New Hope‘s 40th anniversary, Hasbro has this Sith-tastic, 6-inch replica of Kenner’s old-school Darth Vader action figure. Packaged in the classic style from ’77 with a full display stand, the Legacy Pack will have dad remembering his first trip to that galaxy far, far away. ($39.99, Hasbro)
The Flash S.T.A.R. Labs Watch
Got someone who is always running late? Unleash their inner Barry Allen with this Flash-y quartz timepiece. Battery powered with a stainlesss-steel backing, the matte black band is low-key enough to say “style,” while the watch face itself says, “I’m down with particle acceleration.” (SuperHeroStuff.com, $39.99)
Books, Books, Books!
Bones creator Hart Hanson trades forensic science for fast-paced thrills in his wildly acclaimed debut novel The Driver about a Special Forces vet-turned-limo driver who gets caught up in a plot against a skateboard-mogul client ($17.10, Amazon). If dad is the handy kind, hook him up with Good Clean Fun, the so-clever collection of home-project instructions, essays and insights from Parks and Rec‘s Nick Offerman and his squad at the Offerman Woodshop ($20.53, Amazon). Fox Sports’ Joe Buck shares the life lessons he’s learned from years on the sidelines, as well as those passed down from his father in Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, and the Things I’m Not Allowed to Say on TV ($16.66, Amazon). And even if your grad isn’t legal to drink yet, he will still drink up Jonathan Goldsmith’s intoxicating memoir, Stay Interesting: I Don’t Always Tell Stories About Life, but When I Do They’re True and Amazing, which documents his early acting days, his disillusionment with the industry and the events that turned him into Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” ($17.61, Amazon).
Plush Groot and Rocket Raccoon
Isn’t it Phunny how kidrobot’s line works for geeks of all ages? Whether your little one is graduating from kindergarten or pops is the kind of cool nerd likely to keep toys in his office, these Guardians of the Galaxy stuffed Phunnys will get them smiling. (kidrobot, $11.99)
Chromebook Plus
For the kid heading into high school or college, this two-in-one, touch-screen bad boy is more than a laptop. With 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, up to 8 hours of battery life and the Google Chrome OS has a built-in pen, streams beautifully and packs all the power one needs for email, writing, design, social media and gaming. Plus, it’s affordable as hell and lighter a copybook. (samsung.com and Best Buy, $449.00)
PopSockets
Possibly the greatest invention since selfies overtook the land, these clever little doohickies adhere to the back of your smartphone and expand out to serve as a grip to keep you from dropping your phone. It also serves as a stand on flat surfaces for when you need to position the shot just perfectly. Even better, you can design your own socket, which means your gift-getter can keep a pic of their favorite show or celebrity on hand at all times! (popsockets.com, prices vary)
Gear 360
You know those amazing panoramic pics or Google Street scenes where you can rotate the image to see everything? Yeah, that’s what this little guy does! About as big as a salt shaker and easier to use than anything this high-tech should be, the dual-lens Gear 360 live streams, takes HD pics, shoots 4K video and allows for fully immersive 360-degree images. It will also make you look like the coolest guest at the ceremony when you are able to post a picture of the graduate AND the entire crowd sitting around you. (Samsung.com, $229.99)
Living Dead Doll Pinhead
Let’s start with the price: $66.60. How clever is that? Totally fitting for the High Priest of Hell, who gets the Living Dead Dolls treatment complete with a mini puzzle box, glow-in-the-dark skin, perfectly detailed Cenobite garb and 10 inches of Hellraiser evil, suggested for collectors 15-years-old and up. Think of this as Barbie’s First Nightmare of Pain. Or the one thing you can get your horror-addicted nephew for making it through middle school. (MezcoToyz.com, $66.60)
Rareform Bags
You may have seen them on Shark Tank, but these messengers, totes and backpacks are even better when seen in action. (The guys behind the company are pretty hot, too!) Made from repurposed vinyl billboards, each item is carefully handmade and uniquely one-of-a-kind, as well as sturdy enough to endure being carted around campus, shoved into lockers and packed with gym clothes. Duffles, phone cases, surf board sleeves and wallets are also available, as is the option to let the Rareform team pick out a design for you based on your likes and interests. Socially conscious and stylish? Gimme! (rareform.com, prices vary)
Raiders of the Lost Ark Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
One of the most iconic film scores ever meets vintage cool on this just-released reissue of John Williams’ Oscar-nominated score from Stephen Spielberg’s epic action flick. Performed by London Symphony Orchestra and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, Concord Music Group’s two-album LP features over a half-hour of music cues not available on previous recordings and the chance to show dad that he’s just as much a hero to you as Indiana Jones is to him. (amazon.com, $33.24)
